Bracebridge



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

MPTONBRAGEBRIDGE- L. RASKAZoP-F sa J. E. 00

GUN MOUNTING. No. 463,075. Patented Nov. 10,1891.

89. ORITXT ANCE,

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Disappearing Gun.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. RASKAZOPF 8v J. E. OOMPTON-BRAGEBRIDGE.

GUN MOUNTING.

No. 463,075'. Patented Nov. 1G, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONID RASKAZOFF, OF ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, AND JOHN E. COMPTON-BRACEBRIDGE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

GUN-MOUNTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,075, dated November10, 18.91.

Application filed June 19, 1891. Serial No. 396,416. (No model.)

c r ments in gunfmountingsn which springs are employed for workingordnance.

The improvement has especial reference to the siege or other springdisappearing guncarriage described in the British Patent No.

.2o 1,121, granted to one of us in the year 1885,

and it has for its object a new arrangement of the controlling apparatusfor automatically retaining in compressed state the springs of thespring accumulator or buer after dis- 2 5 charge of the gun to store upthe recoil force.

This new improvement is a hydraulic contrivance introduced instead ofthe frictionnipping arrangement described in the abovementioned patentand for the same purpose.

3o This hydraulic contrivance consists of a hydraulic cylinder, throughthe axis of which is passed the stem of the spring-accumulator,

on which the springs are threaded. The springs of the accumulator arein. front of the cylinder and are arranged to push or press against theforward end of this cylinder, so that when the springs are compressed orexpanded this cylinder will slide up and down along the stem. Thissliding cylinder has a couple of horizontal trunnious, one on each ofits sides, on which the eyes of connecting-bars are placed to form aconnection between the spring-accumulator and rocking levers orelevators supporting the gun. Both ends of this sliding hydrauliccylinder are furnished with water-tight covers and stuifing-boxes wherethe stem of the accu mulatoris passed through them. The length of thecylinder is such as to correspond to the maximum of stroke of thesprings of the accumulator. On the part of the stem which is confinedinside this cylinder a disk or piston is fixed' to the stem. This pistouis immovable on the stem and is situated not far from upper cover of thecylinder when the springs of accumulator are not compressed; but whenthe springs are compressed and the cylinder is forced to slide up alongthe stem the piston inside of the cylinder approaches the bottom cover.The piston may have holes through its body furnished with valves, whichmay -open and let the liquid pass'through'only in one direction and onlywhen the springs of accumulator are being compressed, or preferably apipe connects the two ends of the cylinder through a throttle-valve anda valve which closes to prevent return.

The action of this hydraulic controlling apparatus is as follows: Vhenthe gun is fired, its recoil motion by means of rocking levers andconnecting-bars will cause the movable hydraulic cylinder to slide alongthe stem and to compress the springs of the accumulator, which areconfined between this sliding cylinder and a nut on the other en d ofthe stem. By this sliding motion of the cylinder the liquid contained init will be forced to pass through the -Valve from one end of thecylinder into the other; but in consequence of the valves it cannotreturn, and ,thus the springs of the accumulator are kept in acompressed state and the force of recoil is stored. When it is desirableto realize the force of recoil thus stored up in the accumulator forlifting the gun a small valve is opened, by which the liquid is thenallowed to pass from one part of the cylinder into the other, and thusthe springs of the accumulator are again allowed to move the cylinderalong the stem and expand and therefore to do the work of raising thegun by the force of recoil stored in them from a previous discharge. Thethrottle-valve is controlled by a cam-guide during the recoil.

The above-d escribedarrangement of springaccumulator may be adapted tohowitzermountiugs on rearwardly-inclined slides or in similar cases.

In order that our said invention may be fully understood and readilycarried in'to effect, we will proceed to describe the drawings hereuntoannexed.

Figure l is a sectional elevation ot the gunmounting. Fig. 2 is a rearelevation. Fig. 3 is a detail View showing the connection betweenwthe'gun and the recoil-cylinder, the parts being shown in the recoiledposition.

The siege-mountin g as we prefer to arrange it, and as is here shown,consists ot a trail constructed of t-wo plate and angle brackets a a,united by a front transom, a center transom underneath, and a reartransom at the traileye. The brackets are held to the a.\le-tree Z7 byjoggles and plates bolted on.- Steel castings c, fitted withcap-squares, are riveted to the brackets, in which the pivots of theelevators d d rest. The elevators are of bell-crank form and are ttedwith trunnion-holes and capsquares d at their upper ends and are unitedby a shaft d2, which rests in the trunnion-holes inthe middle, and vattheir lower ends are connected by two tension-rods e e to projections ff on the cylinder The rod or stem g of the spring-accumulator is iixedto the rear transom, and upon it is formed a piston g', fitted withdouble-U leathers slid;V ing water-tight in the cylinder. The other endof the stem g is carried by a bracket ci', bolted to the fronttransom,and is fitted with screw and nut g2 for putting the initialcompression on the springs. The disk-springs h h are threaded on thestem and bear at their forward end againstthe nut and at their rear endagainst projections on the front end of the cylinder In the drawings Ihave shown the springs at the front and rear ends only of the stem g.rlhcy are omitted for the greater part of the length of the stem, inorder to show more clearly the elevating mechanism. The cylinder istitted with stuffingboxes at either end, through which the stemA passes,and with two projections, to which the connecting-rods e e are attached,which slide in guides bolted to the inner side of the brackets. The pipe,connecting the two ends of the cylinder together has in connectionYwith it'a recoil-valvel and an automatically closed throttle-valve m.As shown in the drawings, a screw and handle Z is provided for liftingthe recoil-valve from its seat to admit of the return of the liquid. Theautomatic throttle-valve m is-turned by a crank m on its spindle,catching against a groove in a cam-plate n, attached to the brackets ofthe carriage. Thus7 when the gun recoils, the automatic valve isgradually closed, and the pressure in the cylinder is kept uniformthroughout its stroke. The elevating-gear consists of an elevating-bando, surrounding the gun, furnished with two trunnions, to which areattached two elevating-rods p p.

he lower ends of the elevating-rods are attached to two studs upon twocurved racks qq, sliding in guides attached to the brackets of thecarriage and actuated through fricvtion and spur gearing by means of ahandwheel attached to one Of the brackets. Suitable stops for checkingthe gun going up and coming down are provided. The handle of therunning-up valve Z as the gun goes up is automatically shut by catchingagainst a projection attached to the brackets of the carriage.

The gun is anchored in the following manner: To the axle-tree isattached a forked rod terminating in a piston fitting loosely in acylinder s, which is attached to an arm t, working 'round a circularplate w, bolted to the platform. A spring is inserted in the cylinder sto draw the piston down after recoil. By this means the jump of themounting is gradually taken up and the carriage gently returned to itstiring position.

l. In agun-mounting, the combination consisting of the trail orsupporting-frame, the stem passing along the trail from end to end Vandhaving a pistonv upon it, levers or eleval tors jointed to the trailandV supporting the gun, a cylinder surrounding the stem and containingthe piston within it,'springs around the stem outside the cylinder,compressed between an abutment atthe fore end of the trail and the foreend of the cylinder, connecting-rods coupling the elevators with thecylinder, so that when the gun recoils the cylinder is drawn forward andthe springs are compressed, a passage by which during recoil liquid canpass from one end of the cylinder to the other, valves which oder asuitable resistance to the passage of the liquid andprevent its return,and mechanism by which a way is opened for the return of the liquidwhenthe gun is required to rise to the firing position.

2. In a gun-mounting, the combination consistin g of thesupporting-frame, the stem passing along the frame and having a pistonupon it, a cylinder surrounding the stem and containing the pistonwithin it, springs around the stem outside the cylinder, compressedbetween the cylinder and an abutment on the' frame, a connection betweenthe cylinder and the gun, such that the cylinder` moves, cornpressingthe springs when the gun recoils, a passage by which' during "recoilliquid can pass from one end of the cylinder to the other, valves whichoffer a suitable resistance to the passage of' the liquid and preventitsnreturn,

ICO

I 463,075 l vo and mechanism by which a way is opened for the return ofthe liquid when the gun is required to rise to the ring position.

3. In a gun-mounting, the recoil apparatus, substantially as described,consistingl of the stem with piston thereon, the cylinder oontaining thepiston, the springs on the stem outside the cylinder and between thecylinder end and the abutment, the passage between the ends of thecylinder, the Valves regulating the flow of liquid in the passage andpreventing return, and mechanism by which a way is opened for the returnof the liquid to allow the gun to come to the firing position.

LEONID RASKAZOFF. J. E. COMPTON-BRACEBRIDGE.

